Vaping cannabis oil is rapidly increasing in popularity, but dry herb vaping is nothing new; people have vaped cannabis flower for thousands of years. Indeed, the first modern dry herb vaporizers appeared in the early 1990s, and the Volcano, possibly the most well known dry herb vape in the world, has been around for nearly 20 years.

Despite this established history, most cannabis enthusiasts still stick to pre-rolls, joints and bowls – aka, methods that require combustion (i.e., flame from a lighter) to “activate” cannabinoids and terpenes. If you’re not familiar with dry herb vaping and its benefits, we’ve created this quick, simple guide to vaping marijuana.

We’re doing something a little different here today at Cannabis and Caffeine – the fine folks over at Caliva in San Jose provided us with three of their new in-house vape oil formulations, along with a compatible G pen GIO battery, in exchange for a review.

We spent some time with those carts the last few days, and here are our thoughts about Caliva’s new line of cannabis oil.

In California these days, you can be confident you’re buying quality marijuana – heck, the testing standards could be higher than actual food items – but are you properly storing cannabis once you get it back home?

You may be thinking, “What’s wrong with storing it in the package it came in? I kept my bud in a baggie back in the day.” There are actually several compelling reasons to ditch the bag. Here are our top 5 reasons for proper cannabis storage – and how to do it. Continue reading “Storing Cannabis Properly: Why and How”

Marijuana legalization in California has allowed cannabis enthusiasts to begin stepping into the light and away from the stigma and all the stereotypes. Smoking cannabis with friends isn’t a new type of social activity, but whether you’re a cannabis newbie or a seasoned smoker, a refresher on the rules of weed smoking never hurts.

Yes, there ARE weed smoking faux pas, but here’s how you can avoid them. The following rules have been sourced from cannabis smokers all over the country and selected specially for your education.

Rules for Smoking Joints and Pre-Rolls

No bogarting. Cannabis can make you chatty, but try to keep the circle moving.

Rules for Smoking Pipes, Vapes and Bongs

If you get “greens” – that is, the very first hit of a freshly packed bowl – only light a small portion of the bowl. Torching the whole thing means that no one else gets to taste those delicious terpenes. Don’t be selfish!

When it’s your turn, only hit the pipe or bong once – hitting them twice is like double-dipping your chips in the salsa at a party. Just don’t do it. Vape etiquette varies – two pulls from a pen during a turn is often quite acceptable.

Don’t pass an empty bowl. Let the next person know the bowl is getting close to the end if there’s not much left.

Clear the bong. Don’t leave your smoke in there. You wouldn’t want to inhale someone’s stale leftovers, so don’t do it to anyone else.

Don’t use another person’s lighter to stir the bowl. Paper clips do the job, or you can invest in a pipe tool.

We’re honoring women here at Caliva during the month of March, and what better woman to honor than Lady Cannabis? If you’ve ever smoked marijuana, you’re enjoying the fruit of a female’s labor – the flower, the buds, the good stuff with the THC and the terpenes – all of it comes from female cannabis plants. They alone create those sticky, resinous buds we all know and love.

Maybe the iconic smell or cloud of smoke above your head isn’t your scene, or maybe you just want to be a bit more discreet with your cannabis consumption. Whatever the reason, the great news is: You’re no longer stuck with smelly joints or the calamity of spilled bong water. From mints to tinctures to sparkling pomegranate drinks, if you can dream it, clever cannabis entrepreneurs are making it a reality.

You’ve probably heard of THC, the “active ingredient” in cannabis that gets you high. Perhaps you’ve also heard of CBD and its use for pain relief. But these are just two of more than 100 natural compounds – known as cannabinoids – that are found in cannabis. If you’re a little lost when it comes to all those acronyms, don’t worry: here are a few of the major cannabinoids and what you can generally expect when consuming each one. Continue reading “THC. CBD. WTF?”

We recently wrote about sativas, indicas and hybrids and how to choose which strain is right for you. Though sativas accounted for only 18% of total cannabis sales in California last year, there are plenty of great reasons to choose a sativa – whether you want to kick butt at your workout or clean out your attic, here are a few scenarios where sativas can really shine. Continue reading “Sativa! We Need Ya!”